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Khitan
Overview Khitai in the Far East is little known to the Hyborians yet is probably the most important and famous kingdom of that region. Robert E. Howard continually refers to it as shrouded in jungles. To most Hyborians, this is an alien land with unfathomable people. Even the Turanians find them unnervingly inscrutable. The people in general are called ‘kindly’ by Yag-Kosha but the few who leave Khitai to wander the West are rarely described so generously. Khitai is an insular kingdom; few ever leave it. The common people are taught that the Cheng-Li, the white people who live outside the Great Wall, are cannibals. Their first reaction to such people is likely to be fear. The ones who do leave are scholars and sorcerers. That they are yellow-skinned worshipers of bizarre gods and demons is not to be doubted, however. Their eyes have a typical Oriental look and their hair is dark. The priests have their heads shaven. The knowledge and traditions of these people are esoteric and ancient. They have a taste for spectacle and tradition. The Khitan people are also noted for being extremely knowledgeable and wise, well-versed in ancient lore and folk-tales. The Khitans live in bamboo huts with flaring, shingled roofs. Clothing The people dress in long, high-necked silk jackets and embroidered trousers. The women fix their hair in complicated coifs. Swords are forbidden to the common people, so they have learned to fight bare-handed in amazing flurries of violence, using esoteric techniques handed down through familial lines. The nobles dress similarly but their dress is made out of more elaborate materials. Silk and cotton are common materials for clothing. Art Nobles wear ceremonial articles and personal ornaments of exquisite craftsmanship, usually in designs such as coiled dragons, trumpeting elephants, charging tigers and crouching bears. Jade is especially valuable to the Khitans. It is, to them, the essence of heaven and Earth combined. Almost all items used in Khitan rituals are made from jade. It is more valuable than gold. If the Emperor sends a noble or scholar on a royal mission or duty, he often gives the noble or scholar a certain jade tablet to prove that he doing divinely charged work. Nobles often inscribe orders to their officials on bronze bowls. Great military or diplomatic conquests are likewise commemorated in bronze. Social Hierarchy Khitai has a long-standing and rich tradition in nobility and class hierarchy. At the top of the hierarchy is the emperor, called the Huangdi, who is backed by seven counselors. Some believe the Emperor is but a figurehead and the seven counsellors make the decisions. The seven counselors are three Huang (god-kings) and four di (sagekings). The emperor title is passed from father to son, although not necessarily to the oldest son. Also, Khitan politics allow for changes in dynasty so emperors can also be replaced by successful rebel leaders. Generally, royal or official titles from one dynasty are not carried over to the next dynasty. Otherwise, titles are hereditary for up to 26 generations. Beneath them there are many other positions including: N'obles', or Zhuhou. The nobles are ranked as follows: gong (prince); mingong or kung (duke); hou (marquis); peh (earl); bo (count); tszi (viscount); and nan (baron). If a noble actually governs a place, the place name is also in his title. The Gentry, the Oing. These are often court officials assigned to the nobles, generals (qingche duwei), commanders (qi duwei), officers (yunqiwei) and knights (enqiwei). The lesser sons of barons are also in this rank. Any member of the nobility or gentry can be called gongzi. The Gentlemen, or Daifu, are often sages or physicians. Scholars with the Noble Blood feat are usually of this rank. Also, the lesser sons of the gentry are of this rank. Court officials assigned to the gentry are also members of this rank. The Yeomen, or Shi, who are minor court officials assigned to the gentlemen, as well as the lesser sons of gentlemen. Often this rank is awarded to commoners who perform valorous deeds for the emperor or the kings. The Shi are farmers and craftsmen directed by the nobility. The farmers work land owned by the nobles and must give up a ninth of their produce to the government. The craftsmen make weapons, tools and clothing as directed by the nobility. (Note: Any female member of the nobility, save for the wives of the emperor or kings (who are called queens), may be called princess or gongzhu. She may also incorporate any place name she is associated with into her title. Even women can be become generals in Khitai culture. The spouse of a princess, unless he has a title of his own, is given the noble title of fuma.) Trade And Economy Khitan caravans trade with Kusan, Turan, Stygia, Meru, Vendhya and Iranistan. Their caravans are loaded with jade, cloth-of-gold, silk, lotus blossoms, domesticated jungle animals, gold, silver, spices, charms, amulets, porcelain figures and vases and many other works of Oriental art. These caravans and a few exiled Khitans are Khitai’s only contact with the West. Khitan steel is weak, so quality steel may be something the Khitans seek in trade. Evidence also exists that Khitai is a powerful maritime nation and has visited the Unknown West. Military Khitan kings often find it necessary to go to war. When not fighting wars, Khitai’s mighty armies either sit on the border to await a Hyrkanian attack or patrol the interior of the nation, collecting taxes and suppressing anyone rebelling against the God Emperor. Khitai arranges its troops in regular and predictable arrangements determined more by tradition than anything else. Infantry and archers are arranged in formations consisting of three 100-man companies, one each to the left, right and centre. (Note: Their military includes but is not limited to: Archers, Infantry men, charioteers and cavalry, led by commanders and sorcerers). Other soldiers, not members of the military, are persons trained to defend the temples via hand-to-hand combat. Some form cults of assassins trained in stealth and the martial arts. They take unarmed fighting feats, Stealthy and similar feats. Since only nobility or members of the military may wield weapons, these soldiers must learn to fight without swords. Religion The Khitans hold to many strange beliefs and bizarre superstitions. One example is the legend that death must answer any question put to her by a man with courage enough to grasp and hold her. Khitan temples serve as sorcerous schools, teaching knowledge of all sorts. The emphasis on music in Khitan temples suggests some form of shamanism. The worship of Yogah of Yag also indicates that the Khitans like to worship beings they feel are real. The Khitans believe the universe has three interconnected divisions: the heavens, the earth and the underworld. Each person has two souls: one soul is forever linked to his descendants and the other goes into the underworld after death to continue life. Much of Khitan worship revolves around ancestor veneration, spirit and demon worship and blood sacrifices. Khitans believe that any serious request of the gods, spirits or demons must be accompanied by blood. Also, music plays a large role in their sorcerous religious rites. The sorcerers of Khitai probably summon to the earth their dark gods so that they can be worshipped in person. In many of the stories, cities founded by easterners have dark gods living in nameless pits. (Note: In the lore there are said to be thousands of gods but the main one's are listed below). Cheng-Ho – Cheng Ho is the moon-goddess of Khitai. Yogah – Yogah is a strange, elephant-headed star-being from green-breasted Yag who dreams in the great blue vastness of Space. His memory is worshipped still as a god in Khitai. He is probably a god of magic and sorcerous knowledge. Yun – Yun is the main god worshipped in the jungle temples. Shaven headed priests conduct his ceremonies using the music of chimes and bells. Sorcery Demons: The sorcerers of Khitai summon to the earth their dark gods so they can be worshipped in person. In many of the stories, cities founded by easterners have dark gods living in nameless pits. Salome, in A witch versed in the Ancient Traditions of the Khitai and theirreligious beliefs, took over Khauran, she conjured up Thaug to put in a temple, conducting sacrificial rituals to appease it. This, along with evidence from other stories, indicates an eastern practise of demon-worship. As more and more demons are summoned and worshipped, the pantheon grows and becomes ever more complex. '''Spirits: '''Human sacrifice is the name of the game for Khitan priests. Ancestral spirits require blood to be spilt to prove the serious nature of any request. River, mountain and other nature spirits often require similar tokens of seriousness. In addition to human sacrifice, animal sacrifice is also rampant, especially large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. There is a Khitan notion that a person’s spirit lingers on in a spirit world after death. If a scholar shows proper respect to departed ancestors, this realm’s powers can be tapped to aid the living. This being the case, the dead in Khitai are buried with possessions and slaves needed to live a comfortable life in the hereafter, for a comfortable, pleased spirit is more conducive to giving advice or favours when requested. Further, the spirits of ancient kings act as intermediaries to the actual gods, who are strange and unknowable to mortals. Spirits are nourished by human blood, so vast numbers of human sacrifices are necessary to maintain the integrity and unity of Khitai. '''Energies: '''As far as sex goes, in Khitai, both men and women are seen to have magical forces within them that are counterpoints to each other and necessary for life. The female magical force is felt to be infinite within each woman, but the male magical force is considered quite finite. Thus, sexual relationships are seen as a necessary transfer of these forces to the other. Since the female force is infinitely contained in each woman, she is expected to climax multiple times, masturbate often and have sex with other women if she wants. Men, however, are expected to climax once, and must never masturbate or have sex with another man, since they would lose their finite magical energy and not get anything back. Women who have sex with many men are felt to have more magical energy, so many men seek out prostitutes.